Sunday, March 21, 2010

Stupak tells Robert Costa NRO he's not worried

Rep. Bart Stupak (D., Mich.) tells National Review Online that the executive order will stand, despite pro-life groups' concerns. Couldn't it be changed or dropped in the future? "The sky could also fall," he tells us. "I hope they (pro-life groups) see it the way it is . . . It's not about pro-life or pro-choice, it's about most Americans agreeing that we should not publicly fund abortions."

That's what it looks like. Read the Timothy Noah piece which gives it more color. A grim day for any of us who hoped that this new quiet pro-life sensibility growing up in a few Democrat congressmen would eventually make a difference. Al

I don't think the Stupak statement in the video is a bad faith statement. He says essentially, "Having done all I could to stop abortion, if I failed, I would still vote for the bill." It seems to me that if he was convinced that abortion funding would become more accessible because of the bill, he would refuse to vote for it. But most people wouldn't see it that way. They'd look at it and say I'll get a half a loaf rather than a whole. Staying true to principle leaves one with no loaf.